Briefs

Saudis deny $1 bn mosques funding in BD

Monitoring Desk

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is pushing back against reports that it will fund a $1 billion project to build 560 mosques in Bangladesh.  A media news that Saudi Arabia is injecting massive amounts of cash into Bangladesh is now being denied by the Kingdom. Although the network reached out to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in D.C. to no avail, the nation’s Ministry of Culture issued a statement after the story spread.  “This is simply not true,” said Dr. Awwad Alawwad, Minister of Culture and Information. “Saudi Arabia has never committed to pay Bangladesh one Billion Dollars for the construction of Mosques. Any commitment by the Saudi government of this nature would only be considered after receiving an official request from the host country’s government. When such an agreement is finalized there would definitely be an official announcement by both countries.”

Two census officials die in accident

TIMERGARA: Two officials of the census team were killed while another sustained injuries when their vehicle plunged into a ravine at Takora Musa Patay in the limits of Munda Police Station in Lower Dir district here on Friday.  The brakes of the mini-truck failed and the vehicle went out of the driver's control.  Scouts official Zahid Gul of Talash and Levies official Faramosh Khan of Kotkay died  while Abdul Manaf, a schoolteacher, sustained injuries.

Train kills boy

By our correspondent

LALAMUSA: A train on Friday killed a boy. Reportedly, a 17-year-old boy was walking along the railway lines near Baileywala Darbar of Warowal village when a Rawalpindi-bound train hit him, leaving him dead on the spot.  The identity of the boy was yet to be ascertained. The body was shifted to the City police station.

CDA to put 80 residential, commercial plots for auction

By our correspondent

Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will hold open auction of 80 residential and commercial plots located at prime locations in federal capital from May 16 to 18. Mayor of Islamabad and Chairman CDA Sheikh Anser Aziz has constituted a committee which would supervise three days auction proceedings. The committee will submit its recommendations to CDA Board which is competent forum to approve the bids. During the first day of three days auction, 37 residential plots located in developed sectors would be presented for auction on the first day i.e. May 16, 2017 while auction of 43 commercial plots of different categories would be held on May 17, 2017 and May 18, 2017.

80,000 educators to be recruited this year in Punjab

By our correspondent

LAHORE: Punjab School Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan has said that 80,000 educators will be recruited this year, adding the number of primary teaching posts has also been increased from two to four in every government school. According to a handout, he said this while addressing a meeting at the Schools Education Department here on Friday. He said female candidates would also be eligible for recruitment in boys’ schools on the basis of merit. However, in case of village concerned, 12 additional marks and 8 marks in case of union council concerned, would be given for hiring teachers at the local level. The minister also directed chief executive education officers to prepare merit lists without any further delay so that the process of recruitment and training of educators could be started as soon as possible.

LHC CJ attends farewell for sweeper

By our correspondent

LAHORE: From sweeper to high-ranking officers, all employees of the Lahore High Court are an asset to the judiciary, LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said on Friday. Addressing a farewell for head sweeper Younas Masih aka Bab Bangali, the CJ said Bangali was an asset to the LHC and he valued all employees equally either they were sweepers or high-ranking officers. The CJ announced that in future on retirement of any official of the LHC, an official vehicle of the court would drop them to their houses as a token of love for their services. Paying tribute to Bangali, the CJ said all people deserved high respect who rendered their services for the LHC. He said he always saw Bangali working with devotion and responsibility. The CJ also awarded Bangali a shield and a bouquet. It was the first ceremony on the retirement of a sweeper which was attended by a serving chief justice. The ceremony was also attended by Registrar Syed Khurshid Anwar Rizvi, DG District Judiciary Akmal Khan, Secretary to CJ Shahid Shafi, Senior Additional Registrar Ataur Rehman and sweepers of the LHC.

Inquiry ordered into LWMC affairs

LWMC MD rejects charges

By Ali Raza

LAHORE: The Board of Directors (BoD) of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has ordered an inquiry into a complaint against the company’s managing director. The decision was taken in the board meeting held here on Friday at the LWMC’s office. The meeting was chaired by Lord Mayor Col (retd) Mubashar Javed. The BoD meeting took up a complaint filed with the provincial ombudsman about irregularities alleged against LWMC MD Bilal Mustafa. The ombudsman had forwarded the complaint to local government department secretary who sent it to the BOD. The covering letter (AO.Dev(LG)18-24/2014-15) of the complaint forwarded by the secretary mentions allegations of “severe nature” against the MD.

Summer vacation in Punjab from 25th

By our correspondent

LAHORE: The School Education Department, Punjab, on Friday issued a revised notification of the annual summer vacation for public and private schools starting from May 25. According to the notification, the summer vacation will be observed in all schools, educational institutions (government/privately managed) in Punjab w.e.f. May 25 to August 14, 2017, instead of June 1, 2017.

748 road accidents in Punjab

By our correspondent

LAHORE: Some 748 road accidents were reported in the Provincial Monitoring Cell of the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) in all the 36 districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours. Four lives were lost and 673 serious injured were shifted to hospitals. However, some 226 victims, who sustained minor injuries, were discharged after the provision of first aid by emergency medical teams.

Ringleader of transplant gang arrested

By our correspondent

LAHORE: The FIA on Friday a3rrested the ringleader of a gang involved in an illegal kidney transplant case. According to FIA, they raided a hotel in Murree on early Friday and arrested Saqib Khan alongwith his friend Fazayil, brother-in-law Qamar and his girlfriend. The number of arrests in the case have reached 12.

Doctor, son killed in attack

By our correspondent

SUKKUR: A doctor, along with son, was killed here in an attack on Friday. According to reports, some unidentified men attacked a clinic situated in Bachal Shah Miani, Sukkur.  Dr Abdul Karim Abbasi and his son Abdul Salam were killed in the attack. The attackers managed to flee the scene. Police rushed to the site of incident and shifted bodies to a nearby hospital. SSP Sukkur informed the media that this incident was a result of an intra-clan enmity. However, he said that investigation was underway to find the people involved in this act.

Pemra bans airing unverified content about Pak Army

By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has asked TV channels against airing ‘unverified news or analysis’ themed around the Pakistan Army or its relationship with the civilian government. The authority issued a statement to emphasise that all news and current affairs TV channels, including its employees, panelists and anchorpersons shall not divulge during discussions on news or having analysis related to Pakistan’s armed forces and the civil-military relations without confirmation from the quarters concerned.